Abide and Grow: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit

Abide and Grow: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit, which is an intergenerational, church-wide theme and curriculum to help us focus on our spiritual growth as we seek to follow in the Way of Jesus and abide in the loving presence of God.

In John 15, Jesus teaches that the way to know if we are abiding in God’s love is to look at our lives honestly and openly and see what fruit we are bearing. We bear good fruit when we love one another, becoming greater expressions of God’s love in the world. And as we bear this good fruit, more people come to know and experience God’s love through us. This is how Jesus defines discipleship. In Galatians 5, the Apostle Paul offers insight on the practices and values that are evidence of our abiding in God’s love. The Fruit of the Spirit Paul identifies are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When expressed and lived in and through our lives, these fruit are evidence of our abiding in Christ and our living by the guidance of the Spirit.

Bearing fruit and cultivating the qualities of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control is a life-long spiritual practice. We are all on a journey as we seek to grow these Fruit in our lives, sometimes choosing to nourish one fruit over another, yet always working to ensure all these fruit are somehow present and growing on our Vine Branch. Whether you desire to strengthen your connection with God and self, your relationships with others, or your impact and advocacy in the world—or all of the above—abiding in God’s love, growing in faith, and cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit will sustain and nourish you through the season of life you are in personally and the struggles we are facing collectively.